After a two-year wait, The Recruit season 2 just premiered on Netflix on Jan. 30. I binge-watched the new season in just a few days, and now, I'm ready for the next spy show to check out next. I bet you are, too!
If you're looking for a new show like The Recruit to watch right now, you're in luck. I shared a list of four good spy shows to watch while we wait to find out if The Recruit is renewed for season 3. The good news is that Netflix has a bunch of new spy and political thrillers to watch right now. We've seen at least four released on Netflix in as many months, not including The Recruit. That streak of new thrillers continues in February with Zero Day starring Robert De Niro coming to Netflix on Feb. 20.
Up first is the Netflix spy series that had a new season premiere right before The Recruit season 2 in January 2025.
The Night Agent
The Night Agent is probably the show on the list that most fans of The Recruit will love. The Night Agent season 2 just premiered on Jan. 23, one week before The Recruit season 2. Netflix did a big marketing push for both seasons with Gabriel Basso and Noah Centineo, and it looks like it paid off!
The Night Agent tells the story of Peter Sutherland (Basso), an FBI agent who mans a secret spy phone in the basement of The White House. One night, Rose Larkin (Luciane Buchanan), a normal person, calls the line during an emergency that leaves her aunt and uncle, who were spies, dead. Peter helps Rose, and together, they discover evidence of a conspiracy to attack the United States via a terrorist attack. Peter and Rose do what they can to stop the attack. That's the premise of the first season, which is based on Matthew Quirk's book of the same name.
In The Night Agent season 2, the stakes get even higher, somehow! And, we just learned some great news about season 3. The cast and crew just started filming The Night Agent season 3, so we should see the new season premiere sometime next year.
- Premiere date: March 23, 2023
- Seasons: 2
- Created by Shawn Ryan
- Where to watch: Netflix
Black Doves
Black Doves is another Netflix spy show that premiered in December 2024. The story revolves around Keira Knightley's character, Helen Webb, who is a spy for the Black Doves, a spy organization. Helen is also married to the British Minister of Defense, Wallace Webb (Andrew Buchan), and she shares government secrets. Everything seems fine until her lover is murdered in connection with the death of the Chinese Ambassador to the UK. Helen and her partner, Sam (Ben Whishaw), an assassin, try to get to the bottom of the mystery.
Black Doves is one of my favorite Netflix shows in a long time! It's the perfect mix of fun and serious. It's set a Christmastime in London. With an amazing cast, how could it not be so good? It's already renewed for season 2 on Netflix, but we have some bad news on that front. Black Doves season 2 is confirmed to premiere on Netflix sometime in 2026. The new season will not be back this year.
- Premiere date: Dec. 5, 2024
- Seasons: 1
- Created by Joe Barton
- Where to watch: Netflix
The Night Manager
If you haven't seen The Night Manager yet, it is easily the best spy show on this list. It's one of the best TV series of the last decade, so it's an easy must-watch for fans of The Recruit.
The Night Manager has an amazing cast led by Tom Hiddleston, Hugh Laurie, Olivia Colman, Elizabeth Debicki, Tom Hollander, and more. The series tells the story of a luxury hotel manager, Jonathan Pine (Hiddleston), who becomes an undercover agent to stop an international arms dealer.
There's no shortage of good things to say about this show! It's much less funny than The Recruit, but I do think fans will really enjoy it. And, there are two new seasons of The Night Manager in the works on BBC and Prime Video almost a decade after the series premiered. Stay tuned for more news about the upcoming seasons.
- Premiere date: Feb. 21, 2016
- Seasons: 1
- Created by David Farr
- Where to watch: Hulu and Prime Video
The Americans
We have to recommend The Americans as our final pick. I know fans of The Recruit will absolutely love this series from Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg. It's not quite the same style or tone as The Recruit, but it's easily one of the best spy shows of all time.
The series follows two Russian spies posing as the regular, All-American family in Virginia during the height of the Cold War. Keri Russell and Mathew Rhys star as Elizabeth and Phillip Jennings in the series. The Jennings try to gather intel for the USSR, but as they get deeper into the conflict, they get closer to getting caught.
I know I said The Night Manager is probably the show I'd start with if I was a fan of The Recruit, but The Americans is definitely in the mix for that claim, as well. And, if you like Keri Russell in this, you should also check out The Diplomat on Netflix.
- Premiere date: Jan. 30, 2013
- Seasons: 6
- Created by Joe Weisberg and Joel Fields
- Where to watch: Hulu
We'd also recommend watching Mr. and Mrs. Smith, The Diplomat, Jack Ryan, Reacher, The Agency, Homeland, Treason, and Lioness if you like The Recruit.